Vaughan shooting kills man; possible ties to mob unrest

ADRIAN
HUMPHREYS AND KATRINA CLARKE A double shooting left one man dead and another
injured at a café in an area north of Toronto notorious as a stronghold for mob
friends of the Mafia leader killed in April just four blocks away, suggesting
underworld unrest continues toward war.

Friday’s
shootings came as a surprise as it was expected to be a quiet weekend in
Toronto’s underworld; many mobsters were in Montreal for the Formula One racing
at the Canadian Grand Prix, always a popular event with Mafia figures.

Instead,
police received a 911 call about a shooting at 93 Woodstream Blvd. just off
Highway 7 at Martin Grove Road at 6:40 p.m. Friday.

“When
officers arrived on scene they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One
was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was transported to hospital with
serious injuries,” said Sgt. Clint Whitney of the York Regional Police.

Police
are not identifying the two men.

The
shooting happened in an industrial area filled with cafés and banquet halls.
Homicide detectives were still investigating to see if the incident took place
inside the café.

The
area has long been home to Ontario’s ’Ndrangheta clans, the proper name of the
Mafia that formed in the southern Italian region of Calabria. Many of the
mobsters who frequented the area are aligned with the powerful ’Ndrangheta
based in the Italian town of Siderno.

Carmine
Verduci, shot and killed on April 24, was often in the area. Many of Mr.
Verduci’s street crew did business in clubs and cafes in close proximity to the
crime scene. The area has historically also hosted high-stakes illicit gambling
games.

Because
of a lack of buzz about the shooting within the mob community, it suggests the
victims are not of high standing within organized crime.

There
is much speculation that Mr. Verduci’s murder is related to the war for control
of Montreal’s Mafia, which has been led by the mob faction originally from
Sicily. Police believe at least some of the victims of Montreal’s Rizzuto crime
family fell at the hands of the Calabrian faction.

York
police said it was too early to tell what is behind Friday’s shooting.

They
are appealing to witnesses to come forward to the police of call Crime Stoppers
anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.